Monica, I really like your set up especially the combination of the shelves with the hanging so it's a pretty vinnette from inside but you can also enjoy the view beyond. IKEA also has these racks that come in white or black. They showed them with little galvinized steel pots which didn't have holes. it would be perfect for holding 4" plastic pots and not worrying about drips onto the floors inside the house. Each segment can be rotated or aligned however you want. I may have to go back and get it but then I would need more Hoyas to fill it up

I got the feeling the lightest one did get too much sun last summer, but over the winter it had no sun. It seemed to me it was darker at one time but I can't remember. It remains looking like it's bleached. I think the A. junenna has much wider leaves than mine. I didn't do a good job of really showing what it looks like. As I was searching for that, I found A. jucunda which looks a little more similar. Thanks.

Flora, same here! I left some outside this past winter and am impressed with the results! B.nutans fared well, surviving a low of 18°F, and many nights in a row with frost/freeze. Behind, B. 'Foster's Striate' which may be a cultivar of B. pyramidalis, not sure, did not fare so well. None of them survived (out of 3 pairs in diff spots.) Some frost bite, but still blooming. Pic from this past weekend.

Following up on Addie's idea, if you want to designate an area for the pool and incorporate it into your landscape, why not? Then in spring and fall it could be your campfire area, and in winter you could put holiday decorations there. But my first item on the priority list would be a privacy fence. Frankly your house looks fine/wonderful to me but if you have no back yard and are wanting to get the most use out of your front yard with kids, etc. then start with a GOOD fence. It is not inexpensive. Then just prune a bit or refresh what you have. And for what it's worth, I think the tree looks like it is hugging your house, in a good way! Plus if I was a kid I would be up that tree in a New York minute. :) You don't need to do it all at once! And you can get a lot of plants and other things bit by bit as they come on sale or even for free from friends or neighbors who are cleaning up. Do the big important thing (fence) with a lot of planning and don't skimp on the money and the rest will come from your enjoyment of your private space as time and cash allows.